Meadowlands

Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature

In an astonishing book-length sequence, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Louise Gluck interweaves the dissolution of a contemporary marriage with the story of The Odyssey.

Here is Penelope stubbornly weaving, elevating the act of waiting into an act of will; here, too, is a worldly Circe, a divided Odysseus, and a shrewd adolescent Telemachus. Through these classical figures, Meadowlands explores such timeless themes as the endless negotiation of family life, the cruelty that intimacy enables, and the frustrating trivia of the everyday. Gluck discovers in contemporary life the same quandary that lies at the heart of The Odyssey: the "unanswerable/affliction of the human heart: how to divide/the world's beauty into acceptable/and unacceptable loves."
Myth Meets Modernity: The epic journey of Odysseus is recast as the quiet, devastating battlefield of a failing marriage, where the monsters are intimacy and memory.The Women of the Odyssey: Encounter a fiercely intelligent Penelope, a worldly Circe, and other iconic figures, their ancient stories providing a stark mirror for contemporary heartbreak.Divorce Poetry: A masterful poetry collection that explores the cruelty and painful negotiations of love's end with spare, unforgettable language.Lyrical and Biting Voice: From a Nobel laureate, this book-length poem uses both classical grace and sharp wit to capture the frustrating trivia of the everyday alongside epic themes.